Tea Tree Oil for Acne – 5 Methods You Need to Know

Tea tree oil is truly a magnificent product of nature. It has been used for over a century in Australia (and probably for tens of thousands of years by the Aboriginal peoples) but has gained popularity in the developed world in the last few decades. It is available in a wide range of products, some good, some not so good, and has won the hearts of many an essential oil user.

Tea tree oil is not just a hippie product, however; it has well known and understood beneficial properties, well backed up by scientific literature. There is so much misinformation and hype surrounding essential oils, a lot of it misleading and untrue, that it can be impossible to make good decisions.

Thankfully, in this case, a lot of the hype is true. Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is an effective anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, making it perfect for many different applications.

Tea tree oil can be toxic if swallowed. There have been cases of children poisoned (not fatally) with tea tree oil, so if you have some, make sure it is locked in the medicine cabinet.

Some users of tea tree oil report that they find it irritates their skin.

There are also cases of allergic reactions. These reactions are very rarely serious, but the user should test a small amount on an unaffected area of skin before applying it to their face. Wait a few hours and check for irritation or other symptoms. Overall, tea tree oil is very tolerable: most people respond very well.

Using Tea Tree Oil to Treat Acne

Using this specific oil to treat acne could be the natural solution to your acne woes. A lot of skin care treatments include tea tree oil for its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects. It also smells nice, and when used with warm water, makes a nice face wash.

Pure Tea Tree Oil

Using pure tea tree oil is one of the fastest ways to get the right effects from the oil. Applied as a spot treatment directly to the affected area with a clean cotton swab, it can deliver its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effects immediately and in high concentration.

For people with sensitive skin, this could produce some irritation–diluting it with water could help.

In Combination with Other Oils

Using olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil with tea tree oil could be the right solution for you. It depends on your skin type. If you have particularly oily skin, adding more oil in this way might not be helpful. On the other hand, an oil product is good when combined with an abrasive at getting rid of dirt. Apply tea tree oil directly to the affected area.

In a Cream

There are hundreds of spot creams around, but if you can combine tea tree oil with a cream that you know is suited to your skin, you can get moisturization and the acne fighting effects from tea tree oil.

When you are adding the oil to the cream, make sure you measure how much you put in per unit of cream. This way you can establish later whether it was effective or not, and whether you need to add more or less to the next batch.

With Acne Treatments

Combination therapies, for example with benzoyl peroxide, baking soda, lactic acid, salicylic acid, or other anti-microbials might improve the potency of your acne treatment massively. You can purchase the oils and chemicals in different combinations online, or make your own combinations, depending on what you want. There is a lot of evidence for most over the counter treatments not working very well, so do your research before you buy.

With CBD

Cannabidiol is one of the relative newcomers to treating acne. Any good guide should have a little bit about CBD. Like tea tree oil, CBD has anti-inflammatory effects. It is not anti-microbial, but it has the remarkable quality of helping to regulate the sebocytes, or oil producing cells, in your skin. This slows down the production of sebum (the oil) and stops pores getting blocked so easily.

The combination of anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and sebostatic effects from CBD and tea tree oil could be a game changer for your skin. Both are tolerable and have few side effects (if any), both are relatively affordable, and both can be organically and responsibly produced.

CBD will not get you high. It is derived from the cannabis plant, but it is not the part of the plant that has psychoactive effects. There are very few risks associated with CBD.

How to Treat Acne With Tea Tree Oil – Before you buy

If you are trying to work out the best way to manage tea tree oil for acne, it can help to know your skin type. When you know how oily, dry, flaky, or whatever else skin does, you can find the correct treatments for you. Everyone’s skin is different, so if CBD worked for your friend, it might not for you.

When possible, opt for a natural treatment. This is an ambiguous term that rarely means what most people would believe it to mean, but in general, try get organic and fairly traded products. This is good for the environment, for poor people, and for your skin because you are getting products that are as pure as possible.

As always, when you are trying out a new skin care regime, be sure to talk to your doctor first. If they know exactly what you are doing with their skin. They have a better chance of finding the best treatment for you.

If CBD is illegal where you live, please do not purchase, own or sell it. The medicinal effects might be just what you want, but it is not worth going to prison for.

If CBD is legal, try to get independently verified CBD from reputable vendors. This will allow you to get consistent and reliable results from your CBD treatment. Should any irritation occur during your experimentation with home remedies, discontinue use immediately.